Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that in the digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online. Others argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is often argued that watching cinemas on big screen and theatres has lost its potential due to technological advancements, while others contend that these platforms provide economical growth. In my perspective, unlike online space, cinemas are more essential due to its wider experience and support in film budget.

In this digital era, everyone tend to enjoy movies on their television or smartphone. This is because easy accessibility and low cost. Also, there are advantages like re-play, pause, forward and many more while watching through internet. For example, someone who cannot afford spending on cinemas usually prefer watching on OTT platforms where most of the movies newly released are easily available.

On the other hand, experiencing movies in theatres has its own benefits. Cinemas play vital role in generating revenue that aid in promoting film and increase its global reach. Although profit can be made through other online channels but less compared to theatres. A newly released movie, if not reached expected budget is said to be flop which means this affects film industry economically. For instance, there was a recent movie which had high targets before release resulted with least revenue due to people prefer watching it on their mobile phones at their convenience. The biggest concern is that nobody is recognizing the cultural merits of watching movies and enjoying it on big screen altogether at one place.

In conclusion, exploring movies on large screens and theatres is still different experience than on internet. Overall, the most significant way to grow any film industry is to promote cinemas and theatres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that theatres and cinemas are no longer important due to online entertainment, and that they remain economically and culturally significant. The student clearly states a personal position in the introduction, arguing that cinemas are essential due to their wider experience and financial support for film budgets. Main ideas are generally relevant and extended, such as the discussion on box office revenue and convenience-driven viewing habits. However, some arguments lack full development or rely on slightly vague examples, such as 'there was a recent movie which had high targets before release'. Overall, the task is well-handled and meets the criteria for Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on the depth of idea extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical arrangement into introduction, body paragraphs addressing different aspects, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'In this digital era', 'Also', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, some cohesive relationships are slightly mechanical or faulty, such as 'This is because easy accessibility and low cost' (missing a verb) and referencing issues like 'resulted with least revenue due to people prefer watching it'. Paragraph transitions could be smoother, but the progression of ideas remains clear enough to follow the writer's argument without difficulty, aligning well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'technological advancements', 'accessibility', 'generating revenue', and 'cultural merits'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'watching cinemas on big screen' instead of 'watching movies in cinemas on the big screen', 'economical growth' instead of 'economic growth', and 'everyone tend to enjoy' instead of 'tends'. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations and occasional awkward phrasing prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. The lexical resource is characteristic of a Band 6.0 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that affect accuracy. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('everyone tend'), missing prepositions or articles ('due to people prefer', 'if not reached expected budget'), and incomplete sentence structures ('This is because easy accessibility and low cost'). While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur regularly enough to restrict the score to Band 5.5, showing a mix of solid attempts at complex structures alongside persistent basic errors.

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